The Terran Jedi
by The Marauders
Summary: Finally back! The Terran Jedi, new and improved! It slices, it dices, it. . . Well, it's a self-insert where Terra is part of the New Republic and two of its citizens end up going to the academy. A bit serious. By Moony, now, maybe Prongs later.
1. The Terran Liberation or Smugglers, War ...

The Terran Jedi  
(AKA For Lack of a More Captivating Name)  
  
By (Shahiri) Mooney and (Kara) Prongs  
  
  
Disclaimer: We don't own Star Wars. If we did, we'd be moving to take over the world, okay? But we're too afraid of George Lucas to do anything of the sort at the moment, so you're all safe.  
  
BACKGROUND: Kara and I find that life is just too boring, so we're always writing ourselves into stories. (Fans of ours would have already noticed that by now.) The first self-insert we ever wrote was a Star Wars story where Palpatine came to earth to try and sacrifice Owen Lars so that he could use an ancient relic called the Pendant of Light. We kind of foiled his plans and used the pendant to transport ourselves to Coruscant where Owen was safe. We then joined two Jedi Knights, Qui-Gon Jinn and Banlynne Antilles, and their padawans, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Justel Camtoro, trying to hunt Palpatine down. It was pretty pathetic, considering I wrote it when we were twelve, but it was fun to do, anyway. Except for the part when Kara decided she didn't want a boyfriend in the story, after all, so I had to get rid of Justel by giving him amnesia. The poor guy.   
Anyway, we hope that we've learned something in the art of writing Star Wars, and that we write everything and everyone appropriately, according to the will of George Lucas the Mighty.  
  
READ ME. . . PLEASE:   
Please read the list of things below, so that we don't get e-mails or reviews from people trying to point out what we did wrong.   
If you haven't read any of the newer novels, then you can skip this, else you might be confused. . .   
Spoilers ahead for those who haven't read anything past. . . the Thrawn Trilogy, probably.  
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED  
  
1) NO YUUZHAN VONG:  
We've kind of made up our own time line for this. We KNOW that the Imperials signed a treaty in the Hand of Thrawn Duology, and that the new enemy is. . . DUH DUH DUH. . . (spoilers for those who haven't read any of the New Jedi Order) Yuuzhan Vong!!!   
(Shahiri starts cackling and stabbing Yuuzhan Vong Voodoo dolls with her toy lightsabers.  
Shahiri: Burn in hell, Vong bastards!!!  
Kara: **sweatdrops** Riiiiiiigghtt. . .  
Shahiri: **shrugs** Meh, I'm okay. Because of the Yuuzhan Vong, Anakin got to wear a loin cloth! **starts fantasizing about Anakin Solo in a loin cloth**  
Kara: I thought you were in love with Ron?  
Shahiri: **rolls eyes** But that's in Harry Potter, Kara. We're writing Star Wars, now. I can't have Ron in a Star Wars story, now can I? )  
But, guess what? WE DON'T LIKE THE YUUZHAN VONG!!!! Well, actually, that's not true. I'm fascinated by them. Kara's disturbed by them. But we're not ready to write them as villains, yet. (I'm actually thinking of writing a Yuuzhan Vong romance sometime soon)  
So we've stuck to the traditional stuff. Got a problem with that? **Shahiri starts shaking her fist in everyone's face** No? Good.  
  
2) ALL THE SOLO STUDENTS:  
As far as I know, Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin never went to the Academy together. But, guess what? When I started writing this (Yes, it was my idea to write this) I wanted them all to be there. So they are. And when they're 15-16, too. Weird, huh?  
  
3)NO TAHIRI:  
Anakin has a best friend named Tahiri, and she's probably going to become a love interest later one.  
(HERE ME NOW!!! My prediction is that Anakin will be tempted by the Dark side, but unlike Luke, he won't be able to be won back by the love of family. Anakin's a kid, he takes that for granted. He'll need a girlfriend to try and get him back. That girlfriend's Tahiri. That is my prediction.)  
But Tahiri has been removed from this story for two reasons. A) She's too much like me, so it's convenient to get rid of her so we don't have two freakishly similar characters and B) I don't need any competition for Anakin's affections.  
**Shahiri gets beaten upside the head by Kara**  
So don't be surprised if you see me (Shahiri) do things Tahiri would do. (Did you geniuses ever wonder where the name "Shahiri" came from? It's a mix of my real name with Tahiri's.)  
I.E.: Go around barefoot. I do that a lot. When my father got mad at me for it, I walked around with a sign taped to my chest that said "Stop the Oppression, feet have a right to be naked."  
  
Well, I think that's enough explaining.  
On to the story!!!!  
  
Les Mademoiselles  
¤*¤M o o n y¤*¤  
Et  
!~!PrOnGs!~!  
  
  
THE TERRAN JEDI  
  
By Moony and Prongs  
  
  
Chapter One: A Not-So-Long Time Ago in a Galaxy That's Really Not That Far Away. . .   
Written by Moony  
  
For the past 500 years, the humans residing in the Sol system rejected any form of government from the rest of the galaxy. Terra, the only planet which was capable of supporting intelligent life, was inhabited by developing homosapiens who were obsessed with making their own discoveries, and they had no wish to join such a high-tech society as the Old Republic. Sol occupied small, insignificant space with hardly any economical advantage and absolutely no military ones, since it was out in Wild Space, so the Republic did not push for their cooperation. The Terrans were content.  
Unfortunately, the Emperor did not follow the principals of the Old Republic. He attacked without mercy, changing Terra into a military form of the Smuggler's Run.  
The technologically primitive Terrans lacked any of the know-how that would allow them to choose useful jobs, and the majority of them resorted to being smugglers. Smugglers forced to be loyal to the Empire. Terra became extremely useful to the Empire, as the rising Rebellion had no knowledge of its existence, and it was used for the storage and production of some of the greatest Star-ships ever built.  
It wasn't until a group of Terran smugglers were attacked by pirates and forced to stop off at a small planet for repairs when Stane Voner, Miki Taro, and Larna Foxx made an acquaintance which would trigger the Terran Liberation.  
Stane Voner, and his copilots Miki Taro and Larna Foxx, formed the Terran Rebellion with the outside help of such New Republic heroes as Lando Calrissian and Crix Madine. The Liberation of Terra took place on the Eleventh day of the Fifth month of 18 A.E. at the London Base.  
After the Battle of Endor, Terra was one of the first planets to join the New Republic and have an official ambassador in the senate. Larna Foxx.  
Terra has been free of Imperial hold for 22 years.  
  
++  
  
Shahiri Taro took a breath, studying her peers' faces. Some were captivated by her speech, others looked angry, but Kara Darkblood just looked bored. Her teacher thanked her and she returned to her seat to watch the rest of the presentations.  
  
++  
  
"I would've thought for sure that your speech would've been on the Jedi." Kara said after school, kicking a stone as she walked. Shahiri laughed.  
"Oh, please. Ever since my mother 'Let it slip,' the other students haven't shut up. I'm not going to make it worse."  
Kara raised an eyebrow at her.  
"Shahiri, you're the daughter of a war hero, the god-daughter of a REPUBLICAN hero and a smuggler GOD, and you're a Jedi candidate. No matter what you do, it's not going to make it any better or worse." Her voice was slightly bitter, though not with jealousy. Shahiri caught the tone. She sighed.  
"Who was it this time?" she asked, gently. Kara picked up the stone she'd been kicking and threw it down the street.  
"Russ Degra."  
Shahiri nodded solemnly. "And what did he say?"  
Kara paused for a moment before answering. "That he'd see how much of a Jedi you really were. That without your 'Uncle Lando', you're just a pain in the exterior with a lot of luck."  
Anger boiled inside of Shahiri and she was tempted to show Russ just how strong she really was, but she forced herself to be calm.  
"So I. . ." Kara cleared her throat, "I punched him."  
Shahiri struggled to fight back a grin. Jedi weren't supposed to let anger and hate get the best of them! However, she'd always argued with herself. She wasn't a Jedi yet, not even in-training! So it didn't matter. . . but Kara! Kara left for Yavin IV in 3 months, so she should be thinking more responsibly!  
But Kara had always been like that. . .   
  
^^^  
  
Shahiri had been born a smuggler's daughter, raised a smuggler's daughter, and would always be a smuggler's daughter. She had known and embraced it ever since she was young, more than the fact that her father and god-father were both war heroes. In the beginning, both professions had inspired her, filled her with awe, but she'd seen the look in her father's eye when he talked about his smuggling days, and she'd wanted to have the same experiences. Her God-father, Lando, had laughed at her dreams, believing she'd grow out of them, but she never did. Not until she met Luke.  
Even as a child, Shahiri loved to read. She'd recently finished a book about Jedi knights, and openly declared her infatuation with them. It was then that Lando told her about his Jedi friends, and promised to introduce her to them, hoping they would leave a good impression on her and dissuade her from pursuing a smuggling career.  
They would do a lot more than that.  
  
Shahiri and Kara were playing in Shahiri's home when Lando announced the arrival of his friends. The six and seven-year-olds eagerly ran to the door. Kara didn't know what was going on, but Shahiri dropped the toy she'd been pretending was a lightsaber when she saw them.   
One was moderately tall with a boyish face and ruffled blond hair. The other was a beautiful woman with flowing red-gold hair. Shahiri took a breath. An aura surrounded the Jedi, radiating power.  
"I can feel you." Her voice was barely above a whisper. The Jedi blinked in confusion.  
"Pardon me?" The man asked. Shahiri grinned, and leaned in, as if telling a secret.  
"I can feel Mommy and Daddy," she explained, "And I can feel Uncle Lando. But you feel stronger. And you can feel me, too. Daddy can't do that."  
  
Kara could feel the Jedi, as well, and she hadn't liked what she felt. It was power, but she sensed that she was being invaded by it. She didn't want it near her, she wanted it to go away. So she said so.  
"Kara, honey." Lando said. He'd seen her many times, and he was nice, but Kara still didn't like him. She didn't like a lot of people, besides Shahiri, and these people were interrupting her TIME with Shahiri.  
"This is Luke and Mara. They're Jedi Knights. You know what those are, right?"  
Kara nodded, her cool gray eyes never leaving Luke's face. Luke knelt down.  
"Kara? Is that your name? Can you feel me, too?" He asked. She was about to answer, but Shahiri suddenly spoke for her.  
"She can feel, too. This boy at school once threw rocks at us and--"she was cut off by the sound of Kara's screaming.  
"You're telling them!" she wailed "You promised! You promised you would never tell!"  
Luke and Mara exchanged glances as Shahiri looked down guiltily. She hadn't meant to tell, but the Jedi were just so nice. . .   
"Please girls, we'd like to hear."  
Kara growled, and ran into the other room, slamming the door. Shahiri moved to go after her, but was stopped by Lando. He nodded for her to tell them her story. She studied the adults around her uneasily, before taking a deep breath.  
"This boy was throwing rocks at us, and Kara and me made a bubble." Her voice was gentle and hesitant. Luke cocked his head.  
"A bubble?"  
Shahiri nodded. "We made a bubble so the rocks couldn't hurt us."  
To confirm his suspicions, Luke had reached out to Shahiri, and later, Kara, with the force, touching their memory banks. The force that pushed him backwards was all he needed was evidence.  
The girls were Jedi. 


	2. The Praxeum and Me - A Story of Kara

The Terran Jedi  
By (Shahiri) Moony and (Kara) Prongs  
  
Chapter Two  
By Moony  
  
  
  
Kara stared at the clock near her bed. The pale, glowing numbers seemed to be ticking down to her doom, causing more anxiety that prevented her from sleep. Shahiri had always wanted to be a Jedi, but Kara had wanted to be normal. She didn't want to be treated like a freak, but she had to be. Not because she was a a Jedi (none of her friends even knew about that), but because her best friend was one. Shahiri was teased and Kara would always defend her.  
Shahiri had always been fiery, but Kara was older and stronger, and she'd always taken it upon herself to give a good beating to anyone who dared to threaten her friend. That's the only reason she'd agreed to go to the academy: Because Shahiri might need her. Of course, she doubted it. Mara had come down with Lando on several occasions to visit, to do a progress report or whatever, and had developped a strong bond with Kara's short friend. Shahiri idolized the older Jedi, and was even beginning to look like her. Mara with her long locks of red-gold hair and green eyes, and Shahiri with her ice-blue eyes and brown-red hair that hung on her shoulders. . . they both always had the same wry intelligence in their expressions. If Shahiri ever needed help at the academy, Mara would be sure to provide it. Plus, Kara was positive that she'd once heard Shahiri say that Mara had a niece or nephew at the school.  
These thoughts, along with many others, arose in Kara's mind as she lay awake in her bed. Tomorrow she would leave for the praxeum, and being a year older, wouldn't see her best friend for 365 Terran days. This made her uncomfortable, and she wanted to cancel the arrangements. . . wanted to start school in the coming year and hang out with her normal friends. . . but she changed her mind when she pictured Shahiri's face. It had been 7 years since they'd promsied to go to the academy together, and she wouldn't back out now.  
  
~~  
  
The next day, Kara's parents drove her to the local ship bay where Lando and Shahiri's parents waited to see her off. Kara plastered a grin on her face as they saw her off, but found it even more difficult to surpress the scowl that threatened to come when she saw Luke and Mara standing by a ship's entrance. They still felt strange, and she could sense that they didn't entirely trust her.   
She looked past them to see a rickety old ship that look so weather-worn, she wouldn't even trust it to carry her one block.   
"Jedi's travel in style, I see." She muttered to Shahiri, who laughed.  
"I envy you, Kara." She pouted, but then realised that pouting wasn't really her thing. "So have good one, and I'll see you in a year!" She grinned, hugging her friend fiercely, and waved as Kara turned her head towards the ship. As she stepped forwards, a figure exited off the ramp, his long, black hair falling in his eyes. He called something to someone inside, then turned, bumping into Kara. She growled under her breath and entered the vessel, ignoring the person she'd just passed.  
  
~~  
  
Kyp Durron had thanked Han for the ride, and left. He had some important business to do on Terra involving some left-over Imperials who were scrounging the Terran underground. His breath caught in his throat, suddenly, as he felt an overwhelming presence, and turned to see a young girl, about 14 years old. She was tall, with a graceful figure and a brooding brow. Her short blond hair was in a disarray, and she didn't seem to be paying any attention to where she was going. Kyp bumped into her, but she barely stopped moving onward. He stared after her in wonderment.  
SHE was the student that Skywalker was taking to the academy?! He couldn't be serious! She was just dripping with anger. . . Kyp grinned to himself. He'd been the same way.  
He turned and kept walking, smirking. He would have to hope that Skywalker wouldn't change her too much, he thought, as she could be very useful in the near future.  
  
~~  
  
At the Academy, Kara had soon met Luke's nephews and niece. As unpredictable as always, Kara had decided that she didn't like them. They thought they could get everything just because their Mommy and Daddy were heroes of the Rebellion, not to mention their all-powerful Jedi aunt and uncle. Sure, Shahiri's father was a hero, but she never flaunted it. She always just stated it as a fact. But with the Solo brats, as Kara bitterly referred to them as, it was "Mom" this, or "Uncle Luke" that. And if the righteous triplets weren't bad enough, the morons they hung out with were. Kara detested Tenel Ka due to an "incident" which she didn't care to recall, and refused to even make eye-contact with the amazon princess. However, Kara's wrath didn't seem to carry on to Lowbacca. In fact, the rash and tempermental young Terran was rather fond of the Wookie, and she might've become good friends with him, though she'd schemed up ways for his translator droid to have an "accident". Unfortunately, like most of   
the Kashyyk natives, he was fiercly loyal and stuck with the Solo clique at all times.  
So she gave up on making friends. After all, once Shahiri got there, everything would be fine. Kara knew her shorter friend had been looking forward to meeting Jade's nephews and niece, of course, but she was such a good friend that she would ignore them as soon as she found out that Kara didn't like them. . . right?  
Kara had told herself this several times, but doubt was beginning to disrupt her resolve. To distract herself, she began going on jogs during the evenings. What began has a diversion soon became an obsession, however, as it was on one of those dayly escapes that she found the temple, and began learning about the Sith.  
She's been awed by the people who dared to use the force as a tool rather than an aid, to reject the Jedi ways. . . Kara loved the idea. Fascinated, she'd requested the help of a Jedi instructor by the name of Tionne. The fair musician loved sharing knowledge, and had readily agreed to help her. Skywalker hadn't agreed at first, but Tionne had managed to convince him, and Kara was grateful.  
The Terran found herself liking the elder woman, and the instructor became her first friend at the academy. Tionne became an even better distraction, as a few months later, Kara had yet to receive ANY replies to the letters she'd been regularly sending to Shahiri.  
Perhaps Miss Shahiri Taro wasn't such a good friend after all. 


	3. Of Teenagers and Little Spins

The Terran Jedi  
  
By Moony and Prongs  
  
Disclaimer: Ve do not own ze Star Wars, ja?  
  
AN: Anything I might have wanted to point out, I managed to do in chapter one, so. . . here's the story! (Good God, that was actually reasonably short, for once! The world is coming to an end!)  
  
Chapter 3: Of Teenagers and Little Spins  
By Moony  
  
One year had passed since Shahiri had seen her friend off, and she felt sick with excitement. Finally, she would leave, as well. She'd waited 8 years for this, but now her palms began to sweat and her throat was parched. What if they didn't think she was good enough?  
No, that was silly. Mara always told her about how even the weakest Jedi were welcome at Yavin IV. What if she didn't make any friends? Though Mara had assured her that she'd love Jacen and Jaina, she still had her doubts.   
And, foremost of all her worries. . . would Kara be happy to see her? One year ago, Shahiri wouldn't have second-guessed it, but not. . . The entire time that Kara had been gone, she hadn't sent Shahiri and single letter. Of course, as Shahiri kept telling herself, Kara was probably just busy and having too much. Shahiri realized that she was being ridiculous, and silently scolded herself.  
"Doubts and fears are for the weak at heart." She whispered. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the old ship, the same which had taken Kara. "And regrets are for the weak in mind."  
Her thoughts were interrupted as a dark-skinned man with a stylish moustache came out of nowhere, embracing her in a smothering hug.  
"Well, if it isn't my little Togarian princess!" He cried out. Shahiri rolled her eyes.  
"Geez, Uncle Lando. I'm 14. Don't you think I'm a little too old for that?" She asked, trying to put her hair back in its place. Lando frowned.  
"Why? You're as wild as a Togarian, and as violent. . ." A grin swept over his face again. "But you're acting proud and proper. And look at you! All dressed up!" He winked "You finally let your mother turn you into a Hapan."  
Shahiri's eyes widened. "A HAPAN??! Never!!!" She shook her hair loose from atop her head and reached into her bag to pull out a pair of mechanic's shorts and a sleeveless shirt. "Where can I change?" She asked.  
  
~~  
  
When she'd come out of the fresher in her new attire, she'd been distressed to find that her Godfather refused to let her walk around without any shoes on.   
"At the Academy, you can go around bare-foot all you want, but not on this ship. The old pirate treats her so unfairly, there's all these loose nuts and bolts lying around. You could get hurt." He explained.   
So she'd been forced to stuff her poor feet into a par of leather sandals. Making sure that Lando was satisfied, she then proceeded to demand that he show her around the ship.  
"My first time in a space ship, Uncle Lando. Mom would never let me near one." She'd complained. So he'd given her the full tour of the ship he called the Millenium Falcon. Shahiri's eyes windened at the name. The Millenium Falcon, or, as Kara called it, the Centennial Chicken, was Han Solo's ship. Shahiri said so, and Lando nodded bitterly.  
"Yeah, well, she USED to be mine, until that crazy smuggler stole her from me." He said, entering the cockpit. If Shahiri's eyes were wide before, they now almost bugged out of their sockets.  
"I wanna fly it!" She cried out.   
"Oh, no. I've been through it 3 times, I know what it's like." A middle-aged man with a roguish look about him stood up from the pilot's seat and stepped towards her. He had graying brown hair and deep brown eyes. He nodded to her, flashing a wry smile.  
"Shahiri, right? Nice to meet you. The name's Han Solo." He'd then introduced his enormous, furry co-pilot, a Wookie, as Chewbacca. Shahiri had been honoured to meet them, but formalities were never important to her. It wasn't that she didn't respect them, she did, but she just liked to show it through casual, friendly conversations.  
"Aw, come on, captain. Just a little spin." She begged. He shook his head.  
"I have 3 teenagers of my own, kid, and 'Just a little spin' NEVER means 'Just a little spin'!"  
"Besides," Lando said, "You've never been in a ship, and your mother would take on a Krayt Dragon before she'd buy you sims." Shahiri wagged her finger and winked mischievously in response.  
"Hacked into the flight course at school and loaded the sims onto a DAT card. Cost me a hefty penny but it was worth it."  
Sinking into a conversation about starships and smuggling, Shahiri quickly forgot her worries about the academy. It was only when the white starlines of hyperspace disappeared and the gas giant Yavin loomed before them in the viewscreen that Shahiri felt her heart skip a beat.  
She was there.  
  
~~  
  
Kara awoke at the sound of a knock on her chamber door. Groggily, she opened her eyes and reached out with the force. She grinned to herself as she did so. She felt nothing, which meant that it was one of the Solo brats. They always blocked her, guarding themselves. Only Anakin let himself slip at times, and that was only because he'd started at the Academy at the same time as her, and he didn't have the abilities, yet, to completely keep his presence from being known.  
Kara opened her door, smiling sweetly at the cold, expressionless face that greeted her. It was Jacen, his brown eyes indifferent and his curled brown hair brushed back.   
Another reason why she hated him so much; The way he smiled and joked with everyone else, but shut himself up when it came to her. She cocked her head.  
"Jacen, you shouldn't be so cold. It's really not becoming of you." She tutted. "Your precious Tenel Ka won't--"  
"Your friend will be landing, soon." He interrupted, stopping Kara from continuing her comment. Her eyes widened and she felt her palms begin to sweat.  
"I-I thought it wasn't until tomorrow." She said, her tone changing from mocking to meek. Shahiri would finally be joining her. Jacen frowned.  
"Can't you feel her?" He asked, and Kara blinked in confusion.  
"Fee her from out in space? You've got to be kidding me." She raised an eyebrow, studying the expression on Jacen's face as he grinned, suddenly.  
"Man, is she excited. And it's contagious!" He allowed himself to laugh softly, shaking his head as his eyes fell on her. She knew what he was thinking. Why would a girl like Shahiri ever want to be friends with a withdrawn Rancor-tamer like Kara? Anger filled her, frustrated that Jacen could feel her best friend whereas she could not, and, worst of all, that he was now judging their friendship. She angrily stormed past him, heading towards the landing pad.  
  
~~ 


	4. This Week on Dawson's Creek. . .

The Terran Jedi  
  
By (Shahiri) Moony and (Kara) Prongs  
  
Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to some pimp named George Lucas who sells his Jedi to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, I am NOT the highest bidder. **sniff**  
  
  
  
Chapter IV: This Week on Dawson's Creek. . .  
  
  
  
As Shahiri slid eagerly down the ramp of the Millennium Falcon, the first thing she noticed was the humidity. It hit her like a collision with a Bantha, and sweat immediately began to bead up on her forehead as the thick, jungle air filled her lungs. She gasped, gulping down the hot atmosphere and struggling to squeeze more into her chest, feeling the moisture collecting inside of her. The climate would definitely take some getting used to, as she was practically suffocating where she stood.  
  
She then took in the scenery. The huge Massassi temple before her could dwarf any of the famed pyramids on Terra, its massive block-structure similar in design to the temples of the Aztecs. The enormous trees around her seemed to have no end, though black boxes poked up from the canopy wherever a temple had been built. The Yavin system's sun was mostly blocked out, but the gas giant loomed above them, radiating a life-giving heat which it reflected from the sun and drew from its very core, giving off an intense warmth that had been there since its very creation. Marveling at the wonder which was her new home, Shahiri didn't even consider acknowledging her welcoming committee until they forced her attention towards them. Someone cleared their throat, and Shahiri jerked her head forward to see a Wookie, three teens, Luke Skywalker, and a wry- looking Mara.  
  
"Drooling does not make a good impression, young Taro." She said, adopting a wise voice. Shahiri grinned.  
  
"So sorry, Master." She replied, bowing. Luke smiled and greeted her warmly, before introducing the three teens as Tenel Ka (A rusty-haired Dathomirian Witch), Jaina (Luke's mechanical-wiz of a niece), and Anakin (Jaina's even bigger mech-wiz little brother.) The Wookie was Lowbacca, the nephew of the Wookie she'd encountered on the Falcon. The two pilots of the ancient ship came down the ramp behind her, rushing to greet their relatives. Shahiri smiled thoughtfully as she observed the reunion, realizing that the young students and her future-peers were there to greet their father and uncle, and not simply to meet her. She scolded herself for believing that she actually was that important, but was shaken from her thoughts when she felt, and then saw, two people come out onto the landing pad. One was a tall, young man who looked like a younger Han with soft brown eyes and curly, light-brown hair, but the other. . .  
  
"Kara!" Shahiri called out to her friend, waving exuberantly.  
  
Kara plastered a smile across her face, feeling that it probably looked more like a grimace. Shahiri was acting out of character. Normally, she'd be blurting out her excuse for not writing, but instead she acted as if letters didn't exist.  
  
"What's up, Shahiri?" She asked. Her friend grinned nervously, tucking her hands behind her back.  
  
"Didja miss me?" Shahiri's voice wasn't its usual casual tone, and even a complete strange could tell she was anxious. Kara suppressed a smirk at what she believed to me Shahiri's guilty conscience making its appearance.  
  
"Of course." Kara reached forward and yanked one of Shahiri's bags away from a small R2 unit that was rolling its way of the landing pad. It beeped in shock before letting out a few electronic raspberries as it went past her. Man alive, she hated droids. Especially obnoxious ones that were long overdo for a memory wipe.  
  
"I'll show her to her room." Kara shot a glance at her superiors and peers, daring them to challenge her. It was satisfying to be unquestioned, no matter what it was—  
  
"Of course." A quiet voice said. She turned her head slightly to look into a cold pair of ice-blue eyes. Damn him. "You do have so much catching up to do." His voice was harsh, and her eyes narrowed in response. They all knew that Shahiri hadn't written her, and they all wanted her to remember it. She mused for a moment that they might not have been so cruel to her if she'd tried to stay away from them, but she supposed that her crime was worth their spite. Still, she hated Anakin Solo and everything that he stood for, and most of the things he did were only to spite her. If Kara were to every make a hit list, Anakin Solo would be first. She glared at him before leading Shahiri into the temple, ignoring her friend's questioning gaze. Shahiri wasn't stupid, though she was often struck with a sudden innocence that left her seeming naïve and irresponsible, and it hadn't been hard to notice that obvious display of raw hatred. The shorter girl continued to stare at her Jedi friend expectantly, but grew frustrated when Kara refused to acknowledge her interrogative eyes.  
  
"What was THAT all about?" She asked, finally. Kara grunted, hunching her shoulders.  
  
"Nothing. He's just a jerk, that's all." She snapped. She slightly scolded herself when she realized that she was taking out her anger on Shahiri, who turned to look in the direction of the landing area, not bothering to hide her disappointment.  
  
"Really? Are you sure you didn't just get off on the wrong foot with him? I've heard rumors about what he and his siblings have been through, and even if only half of them are true, he still sounds very noble. I was really eager to meet--" She stopped, staring at her friend in shock as Kara dropped the black bag she'd been carrying, clenching her fists.  
  
"So that's why." Her voice was dripping with anger and hurt. Shahiri shuddered from the feelings she was giving off.  
  
"What?" She asked, gently, as she tried to fight off the waves of burning hatred.  
  
"I understand now. You never cared about being friends with me once you got to the temple."  
  
Shahiri was about to laugh at how ridiculous that statement was, but the look in Kara's eyes warned her against it. The tall blond was perfectly serious, and Shahiri was so stunned that all she could manage was to stand their, gaping, as Kara went on.  
  
"That's why you never wrote. Because you only cared about Mara and her nauseating Solo gang! Well, don't worry, they LOVE the attention, so I'm sure they'll be GLAD to have you!" She whirled around, ready to walk away, but Shahiri grabbed her wrist.  
  
"Never wrote?! What on earth are you talking about?" Now Shahiri was getting angry as her grip on her friends arm tightened. "I wrote at least 15 letters before I gave up! You never replied to a single one!!" Kara's eyes widened and her voice rose.  
  
"I wrote you ALL the time! Not once did I get ANYTHING from you! I never knew you were such a liar!"  
  
Shahiri had to use all her strength to keep herself from throwing a punch. Instead, she grabbed the bag that Kara had been holding and stormed off, with Kara going in the other direction. When she'd turned around corner, she dropped her bags, screaming as she punched a wall.  
  
~~ 


End file.
